Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people being refused unemployment assistance or benefit on the grounds that they are not genuinely seeking work, despite producing letters from employers to the contrary on a county basis, per month, for each of the past twelve months; the reason these letters are not accepted as proof that they are genuinely seeking work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43287/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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To qualify for a jobseeker's payment a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work. Reviews of recipients' efforts to find work are carried out regularly by local offices. The onus is on the customer to show that he or she satisfies this condition by providing clear and convincing evidence that he or she has made an active search for work on an on-going basis. Statistics of people refused jobseekers benefit and jobseekers allowance are set out on a county and month basis in table 1 and table 2 attached. However, statistics are not maintained of the number of customers disallowed for not genuinely seeking work, who had supplied letters from prospective employers.

It should be borne in mind that there are many other reasons why a deciding officer may disallow a claim under this heading, including failure to avail of training and developmental opportunities to improve ones chances of securing employment.

The production of letters from employers is only one of a number of factors taken into account by a deciding officer when considering whether a person is genuinely seeking work. There are a number of reasons why employers' letters may not be accepted as evidence that a person is genuinely seeking work, and such letters are not in themselves conclusive evidence of work seeking. Other issues taken into consideration include the number of suitable employment vacancies known to exist in the area and previous experience of being unable to obtain evidence over a long period of time from the customer of having looked for work.

All measures taken by a customer to secure employment will be taken into account provided they offer a reasonable chance of getting employment. The steps expected to be taken to find work will vary from person to person and from one period to another. In determining what are reasonable steps, the deciding officer considers the nature and conditions of the employment sought and the individual circumstances of the persons concerned, including their level of skills and/or qualifications for the employment in question having regard to the labour market opportunities and seasonal factors.

A person who fails to satisfy the deciding officer that he or she is genuinely seeking work is not entitled to a jobseeker's payment. Where a person is dissatisfied with a decision made by a deciding officer he or she may appeal this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.